Daily Republican., 1887-07-13
Almose JustI nAbie.

we ere 20 opt 70 CUnuo0A ovuky
thing that ssvors Of injustice to tho
Chinese that We hardly stop to oonsid.
or that the Chinese In many instances
are the most grievous offenders. Those
Who have been here the longest hsve
become 90 "MelicAnizea" that they
hesitate not to aot the OUTLAW In real
American fashion. The lynching OF
the OhinAmAn Hong Di. near Columbis,
Osliiornis, ON Monday, has called forth
. f ,cd Of indignation oil over the coun-
try, whom the iynching Of IN American
would have been received - common
place every day Affair to be mildly con-
demned and then permitted to aost
from the memory. OF course nobody
should justify lynch Law, bat Viewed In
Ill its atrocious circumstances the
lynohing Of Hong Di hAs possessed
stronger justification, II there can be
suoh . thing, than such Gases usually
do.
Tae crime which he committed was
. most atrocious and bloody one. He
was employed - cook and house SER
want BY farme named Billion. Oae
night Mrs. Billion, her children and
W. Weaver, the farm foreman, we're at
supper, Billion being absent. Hong Dl
suddenly appeared with repeating
rife and commenced firing. One shot
severely wounded Weaver and another
killed Mrs. Billion. Weaver, though
crippled, managed to shut and lock the
reom door, and one Of the children con.
trived to escape through window and
aroused the nearest neighbor, after
being fred ct by the ChinamAn. Hong
Dl ran away and for some days eluded
pursuit, but finally surrendered In .
half starved condition. He tried to
mitigate his crime by concocting story
duplicating Weaver and Mrs. Billion,
whlch was infamously false.
The only true reason that could be
assigned for suoh bloodthtrsty act vas
that Hong Di had been soolded for not
doing some work properly. Now comes
. queer phase OF California lenienoy.
We have been led to believe that there
was no chance for o Chinaman's life
before . California jury in any trial
where the punishment Is death, but the
trial Of Hong Dl completely dissipAtes
this ides. It 10 the Law In thAt State
that o jury In . capital case cannot
only az the degree OF orims but the dc
gree of punishment as we'll. The tria
OF this assassin resulted In . verdict o.
murder In the firss degree, and strsng'
to ssy the penalty Was fxed ct impris
onment for life. This was what rou set
the anger Of the people. The sentenc
was inoommensurAt with the charaote
OF the crime. There never was NOR
brutal assassination, and there certalnl.
vas no room for leniency In the case
The danger to which families oil owe
California might be exposed from any
thing like feeble treatment Of 80 aboui
nable an outrage should have con vincet
the jury that capital punishment Wa
incu On bent upon them. The failure b
do 30 was . most lamentable miscAI
riAge OF justice. When the people hear
what the jury had done they becam
indignant. They had kept their hand
off the bloodthirsty wretch, preferrin
that jury OF their country men woul
do justice In the case. In these expet
tAtions they hAd been disap pointed, an
In their disappointment they followe
precedent only too we'll establishe
ON the Pacific coast and made sho
work Of the guilty man. 1t will be o.
served, however, that there Is . diffe
enoe between this case and other Gas
Of lynchings. Here the man had 9
ready been found guilty OF murder
the first degree, and the people hA'
only applied the punish ment the ju
should have applied commensurate wi
the crime.